The present invention relates to a mounting member, a drum flange, an electrophotographic photosensitive drum and a process cartridge.
Here, the term xe2x80x9celectrophotographic image forming apparatusxe2x80x9d refers to an apparatus which forms images on a recording medium, using an electrophotographic image forming process. It includes an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, LED printer, laser beam printer), an electrophotographic facsimile machine, an electrophotographic word processor, and the like.
The term xe2x80x9cprocess cartridgexe2x80x9d refers to a cartridge having, as a unit, an electrophotographic photosensitive member, and charging means, developing means and cleaning means, which is detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus. It may include, as a unit, an electrophotographic photosensitive member and at least one of charging means, developing means and cleaning means. It may include, as a unit, developing means and an electrophotographic photosensitive member.
An image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process is known, which is used with the process cartridge. This is advantageous in that the maintenance operation can be, in effect, carried out by the users thereof without expert service persons, and therefore, the operativity can be remarkably improved. Therefore, this type of device is now widely used.
In such an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the electrophotographic photosensitive member is supported on a cartridge frame at opposite longitudinal ends to stably rotate the photosensitive drum.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a further improvement in the prior art structure.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a mounting member, a drum flange using the mounting member, an electrophotographic photosensitive drum and a process cartridge.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a mounting member, a drum flange using the mounting member, and an electrophotographic photosensitive drum and a process cartridge wherein the flange can be mounted to a cylindrical member using elastic force.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mounting member for mounting a flange to an end of a cylindrical member of an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, comprising: a base plate; a hole provided at a center portion of the base plate; a plurality of first projected portions provided projected outwardly from an edge of the base plate, for elastic contact to an inner surface of the flange; a plurality of second projected portions provided to project outwardly from an edge of the base plate, for elastic contact to an inner surface of the flange.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.